Microsoft Surface...

LOL. As much as I like the Surface (based on what's been shown), I don't think MS will follow through. It will probably be like the next Zune. It will gain some niche popularity, but will be discontinued after a year. Other than the Xbox, MS has a poor track history when it comes to offering hardware.

I think next year, Windows 8 convertible tablets will take off. Seems like a lot of OEMs are getting on board, and are offering a variety of ARM and x86 tablets. I think the main challenge for MS and the OEMs is trying to get the general public to understand the difference between the two different versions of Windows/tablets. I'm already seeing blog comments scoffing at the idea of paying $800 - $1100 for a Windows 8 tablet and comparing it to the $200 Nexus tablet. Definitely a bad idea for MS to offer two versions of Windows 8.

I don't think M$ is looking to dethrone the iPad, but they certainly want a piece of the pie, like everyone else.

On the business side of things, I see this having potential for in-house LOB apps. Right now you have a cost associated with the development of an in-house app running on a desktop. If a company wants to make their app "mobile" on tablet devices, there's another cost there for that development, whether they choose Android or iOS. Writing that app for WinRT, you write the app once, and it will run on both Windows 8 RT tablet devices and Windows 8 desktops. Same code, same binaries, zero modification. You eliminate the cost associated with developing for multiple platforms. My company has already been writing proof of concept apps for clients in the banking, manufacturing, and oil & gas industries. Love them or hate them, there's good potential on the business side. On the consumer side.......that have some stiff competition.

SoloXCRacer saidI don't think M$ is looking to dethrone the iPad, but they certainly want a piece of the pie, like everyone else.

On the business side of things, I see this having potential for in-house LOB apps. Right now you have a cost associated with the development of an in-house app running on a desktop. If a company wants to make their app "mobile" on tablet devices, there's another cost there for that development, whether they choose Android or iOS. Writing that app for WinRT, you write the app once, and it will run on both Windows 8 RT tablet devices and Windows 8 desktops. Same code, same binaries, zero modification. You eliminate the cost associated with developing for multiple platforms. My company has already been writing proof of concept apps for clients in the banking, manufacturing, and oil & gas industries. Love them or hate them, there's good potential on the business side. On the consumer side.......that have some stiff competition.

i work with the largest oil&gas + natural resources companies in the world, the majority of them are still running on windows XP and are only now finalising their windows 7 deployment strategies. Windows 8 will definitely not find itself into the rio tinto, anglo, bhp, etc environments for at least another three/four years. Outside of this industry the others follow a similar path. There is way too much risk associated with going with the latest on release, secondly, the majority of enterprise applications first need to support the OS, then it needs to mature, and once matured, only then do they release new OSs into their environments.

Another challenge comes from interface design principles and security policies and requirements applied to mobile application vary greatly from their desktop counterparts, thus, regardless as to platform, the security and UI layers will have to be built for two environments "you cant just do one app and port it".

Then the last point on this is also that these companies don't use fat clients. Enterprise services are all sourced from their portal environments, with the appropriate identity management functionality filtering content and services available to employees. Portals are the gateways to the services and functions these employees use, all of which are again provided via web based applications to the end user. There are no real "fat" clients run in the fast majority of corporates, the only applications are really productivity ones "outlook, word, excel, powerpoint". 10 years ago the majority of the companies did fat client development, but the shift to web based access has proven successful.

The moral of the story:1) Windows 8 wont go into the enterprise environment "at least for the top 15 companies globally" for at least another 3-4 years.2) These companies don't use "apps" to service its user base, they use the portal with other web client based applications "back end maintenance, support, etc". this wont change because of windows 83) Majority of companies with internal mobile strategies "their internal users" are all based on web client with SAP, Oracle, Sharepoint, etc already offering mobility support out of the box4) interestingly, ALOT of these companies are now piloting CISCOs bring your own device policy as internal research shows it will reduce the IT burden... in this environment, web client is critical

As for the consumer market:1) I believe it will sell well, if they learn from their marketing and awareness mistakes on the mobile phone strategy. they have a great mobile phone OS, but they havent been able to ship in volume due to partners not really being able to push the hardware.2) If the cheaper tablet offers FULL outlook and word functionality3) If they can somehow fund the top 50 mobile app development studios to release their apps for the surface DAY ONE. They need a content strategy. Content strategy is CRITICAL for any device. The PlayStation Vita is selling terribly because the initial content strategy was horrid, there is still to this very day hardly anything new to play on it. Same with the surface, make SURE that there is content available that users can use.

There is a lot of misinformation/misunderstanding in this thread about Windows 8 and tablets.

A. Windows 8 tablet prices vary depending on manufacturer. This nonsense that their price point will only start $800+ is just unfounded gossip and rumor. We already know a handful of tablets that are being priced aggressively at around the $300-500 price range.

The Microsoft Surface tablet price still has not been announced; Microsoft is waiting until release [October 26th] to reveal the price.

B. The WinRT version is for ARM-architecture chips. Regular Windows 8 will run on x86/x64 tablets. Metro apps will run on both.

The x86/x64 architecture tablets [AMD and Intel], will run the regular corresponding Windows environment for their chip architectures, allowing for normal desktop applications as well as Metro.

With any "app" market, there is the chicken and the egg syndrome. Developers are hesitant to invest time and money into an OS with few users; consumers are hesitant to buy because developers have not made enough apps yet. At least with Windows 8, it is riding behind a solid brand name: Windows. The OS will come pre-installed on millions of devices each year, making it a better bet to develop for than say an Android tablet which has a much smaller market share compared to iOS and Windows.

Now all of that being said, even being a enthusiastic Microsoft fan, my biggest worry for the new operating system is the App market, which is Windows 8's primary selling point. Secondary selling points being Windows 8's kernel and run-time environment is more efficient on multiple performance points and lighter on resource consumption than its predecessor, Windows 7. It also adds a lot of quality of life functions and higher end features that can be enabled such as new network multiplexing protocols and new RTS's.

The average consumer, however, will never use those features, which is left again with the aforementioned primary selling point: the Metro apps. Microsoft primary selling point to developers is the fact this is Windows, the most used, highest market share operating system in the world for both an Enterprise, Consumer, and Commercial level.

If developers do not feel the need or do not see any benefit to write a Metro app, the app market will flounder, which is never good.

Nevertheless, MANY of the default apps that come with the operating system are appetizing selling points for niche users such as myself, such as the Xbox Companion/Smart Glass apps, Music, Video, Maps, Skydrive, and Office integration. But niche is not enough; they need to appeal to a larger audience, which is where 3rd party app makers will have to come into play.

All of this is pointless, however, if Microsoft does not learn how to market their devices and software effectively. I love my Zune, but it immediately comes to mind; the hardware was solid, top-grade design, excellent software, but the marketing was so horrendous.

The Xbox brand, however, is an example of one of their few but notwithstanding mega-success stories.